Paul Daley Says Bellator 170 Win Was Difficult Mentally

Paul Daley scored another win under the Bellator MMA banner when he finished Brennan Ward with a flying knee strike at Bellator 170. Ward was carried out of the cage on a stretcher, which made the win a tough one for the veteran.

“To get a victory, it was kind of mixed emotions,” Daley said to MMA Junkie. “The first two minutes was running around like a headless chicken and going crazy. And then I look across, and I see his girlfriend, and she’s crying. It was hard. I just hope he’s OK.”

Daley and Ward are friends outside of the cage, Daley even watched Ward fight with his family.

“Me and Brennan, we were hanging out a lot prior to this fight at all of the other events,” Daley said. “His last last victory, over Saad Awad (at Bellator 163), I sat ringside with girlfriend and his family and coaches, and I was celebrating with them. So it was a difficult situation for me at first to fight him.”

Daley has only suffered a single defeat in Bellator MMA, which came to current Bellator MMA Welterweight Champion Douglas Lima in late 2016, Lima won the fight by unanimous decision.